Name Your Poison
by Tsume Yuki
Summary: Sirius Black has a tendency to arrive at just the right moment to overhear things he's not suppose to. Only now his world has been flipped, and he's had to turn back to the family he swore he'd never see again in order to secure his godson's survival. Regulus just wonders how he's got pulled into this catastrophe. Twins, wrong BWL, Harry not a Potter, Dark Fic Eventual LVxHP Slash
1. Prologue

**Name Your Poison**

_x_

_**Prologue**_

Regulus Black stared out at the man stood before him, not quite sure if he was to believe his eyes, or if all those Crucios had finally gone to his head. Of course, with the Dark Lord currently dead, he didn't have to worry about that problem getting worse, but that didn't make the figure on his doorstep go away.

His older, estranged brother was stood there, sweat matted in his long black hair and a look upon his face. A look that screamed betrayal and disbelief with a good pinch of hopelessness thrown in for the hell of it. In his arms, curled up asleep, was small boy, who looked about a year old. It was very good luck that their mother had seen fit to move back in with her parents following the death of Orion, leaving Regulus Grimmauld Place all to himself.

"Get inside, quickly," Regulus finally grumbled, stepping aside and holding the door open.

From somewhere inside, Kreacher let out a shriek of surprise at the return of the elder Black brother, but Regulus was quick to shut the elf in the dining room, ordering him to not breath a word of what he'd seen today to anyone. Sirius, for his part, just grimaced, shuffling into the hallway and awkwardly adjusting the baby boy in his hands. The boy's hair was a dark, dark red, the colour only noticeable beneath the murky candle lights hanging from the ceiling, skin pale with his face tucked into the curve of Sirius' neck. Regulus frowned when Sirius didn't offer any explanation, instead just waiting to be lead through to the kitchen, eyes trailing after his younger brother as the Slytherin placed a plate of Kreacher's freshly baked cookies upon the table-top.

"Now talk Sirius, you swore you'd never come back here. You dented mother's forehead when you threw the heir ring back at her." The ring that was now resting upon Regulus' finger. Sirius smiled in an almost wistful manner at the memory before seeming to snap himself back to the present, harshly blinking his obviously tired eyes.

"Lily's twins were bipaternal."

Regulus snapped to attention, his eyes wide and finally realizing just why Sirius was cradling a baby boy to his chest. Something must have gone wrong. He knew for a fact that the Dark Lord had gone to the Potter house-hold two days ago, and that he'd been defeated by the older twin, one Cheston Potter. The boy had gotten away without a scratch, whilst the younger twin, one Hadrian Potter, had received a vivid red scar that laid to rest upon his forehead. He'd not heard anything else since then though... Reaching out a hand, Regulus slowly brushed up the fluffy hair, almost black in the kitchen's lack of light, noting a slight wave to it that James Potter had never had. Beneath the fringe, a lightning bolt of red lay, the tip stopping just short of the boy's eyebrow. If Lily's twins were bipaternal though, that meant that-

"He's not the son of James Potter," Regulus stammered out, looking down at the child again in surprise. There was nothing of Sirius' features there -thank god, his brother might have been a dog, but even he had morals- but there was something distinctly familiar about him.

"No. Du-" Sirius took a breath, looking physically pained by whatever he was trying to say. When the words came out of his mouth though, Regulus could understand why. "Dumbledore said Voldemort had taken up resident in his scar. That he wasn't dead, and was lying in wait to take over Hadrian's body. Th-That's not possible, right?"

Regulus frowned, pulling out his wand and flicking it at the boy before Sirius had a chance to move. Mist began coiling around in the air, the younger Black brother frowning.

"There's dark magic in that scar, but not enough for a spirit to be hiding there."

A staggered breath, a relieved one, left Sirius' lips and he held the young boy closer, shivering slightly in the cool air of Grimmauld Place. The Black heir cast a few not so discrete warming charms.

"I-I was going to surprise them, because they all survived him, you know? And just as I was about to burst open the door, I heard Dumbledore saying that little Hadrian, my godson, was evil and it was too much of a risk for him to keep living."

He didn't give Regulus a moment to take in this shock of news, instead shooting to his feet and striding back and forth, one arm secure around the child against his chest, the other waving about in the air as he ranted.

"And then Lily! Oh, Lily says he's not James' anyway! He's- Well, you know the younger Lestrange right?" That's where Regulus had seen that hair before. That's why it looked so familiar.

Now that he looked at the boy's face, it was easy to see it under the baby fat, from the nose, to the chin, to the jaw line. Hell, even the ears had that almost subtle points that Rabastan's did. Still round, but compared to to anyone else's they were almost elf life. Not a house elf, but a real elf, the kind long lost. Regulus would swear blue that the Lestrange had elf ancestry somewhere.

"I couldn't just stand there! James' kid or not, he's just a tyke! They were going to kill him because he's a little dark! How do I not know they'll turn on me now the war's over? I-I didn't know where else to come."

Slowly, the younger brother rose, gently prying the young baby boy from Sirius' arms and looking down into the bright green eyes that'd opened up to look at him. The colour was from the mudblood, but the shape, that was all Rabastan. He didn't have the faintest idea how this child had come about, from the Gryffindor Lily Evans and Slytherin Rabastan Lestrange of all people, and he prayed he'd one day get the full story. But for now-

"Did they do an official naming ceremony?"

"No?" Sirius was crumpled on one of the chairs now, hands threaded through his hair and very stressed air about him. Obviously the Gryffindor had been planning on dropping the kid off with his real father, but the arrest of the Lestrange's had been front page news this morning.

"We'll hid him then. I've got a good idea what Rabastan would have wanted his kid called, and I've still got some of his blood stored from when I last did a ward for him, so I'll be able to do the ceremony... Do you still want to be the kid's Godfather?"

Sirius just blinked back at him, letting out a long, low sigh before nodding. He'd whisked Hadrian away when both Lily and Dumbledore had gone to see little Cheston. He'd made it look like a Death Eater attack, even shed a little of his own blood that he'd spelled into Hadrian's. But this... He wasn't sure he'd be able to look James and Lily in the eye again, certainly not Dumbledore, not after what he'd overheard.

"Put me down, but you as the second. I-I don't know if I can cope with this right now."

"Of course brother."

* * *

**This is a first for me in many ways. It's going to be my first serious Dark fic in regards to Harry Potter, it's going to be my first Harry is not a Potter fic, my first wrong BWL fic. But oddly enough, I'm excited. Because hey, it's new. It's got all those clichés that everybody has to do one story about, but hopefully you'll like it anyways.**

**.**

**- Sirius isn't turning dark right now, but he's disenchanted with the light all right. He's going to be going away to clear his head, and he won't chose sides till much, much later on.**

**- The twin thing is possible by the way; fraternal twins that are biparental. It's where two different eggs are released at the same time. How Hadrian came about, I'll get to that later on. And his new name will be Serpens Lestrange I'm not sure if he'll have a middle name yet.**

**- Oh, and Regulus never fully took the mark here, he was just researcher and warder; he was better off not having the mark whilst still learning from Gringotts and Minstry. Thus, he didn't supply the house-elf for the cave.**

**.**

**Thanks for reading, it's different than my usual stuff, but if you think it's worth continuing review?**

**Tsume  
xxx**


	2. The Wrong Wand

**Name Your Poison**

_x_

**Book I**

_**Chapter 1  
**__**The Wrong Wand  
**__1st August 1991_

"Lord Black, what may I do for you today?"

Within the Ministry of Magic, one Maria Perry was sat up to one of the multiple desks spread out across one floor, her honey blonde hair pulled up into a loose bun with the odd strand framing her face. For seven years she had been working this very job, processing paperwork of all different kinds. In truth, she'd not been too happy with the job at first, in fact, she'd hated it. Wished she'd done better at Hogwarts, wished she'd put just a little more effort in. It wasn't until a year into her job that she began to really start to appreciate it, mainly because she'd been assigned the paper work of the Black family.

At first she was terrified. With one muggle-born parent and one half-blood, she was all but sure that when her first appointment with one of the Blacks came up, that they'd kick up a fuss and her job would get even worse. So, it was a rather pleasant surprise when the young Lord, one Regulus Arcturus Black, turned up and was nothing but polite. In fact, it'd gotten to the point now, six years after their first initial meeting, that she could almost call him a friend. They were on good enough terms, and it was a monthly occurrence for the young Lord to pop into the Ministry for one thing or another.

Regulus Black, along with his older brother Sirius, had become startlingly famous within the wizarding world over the past five years. The young Black was not only Lord of his family, but also a very impressive spell-crafter. If he didn't turn up for any Lord business, it was most certainly to do with his latest spell creation, or on the rare occasion, a new ward he'd come up with. And it was always left with Maria to file the information provided and send it onwards to the heart of the Ministry for approval.

He was pleasant enough with her, and the one time she'd touched upon the topic of the legendary hatred Blacks had for muggles, the man had actually laughed. He'd explained that personally he didn't like the fact muggle-borns came into their world and demanded everything to be the same as the one they'd just come from. It was like someone from China coming over to Britain and expecting everything to be the same.

The young Lord had explained he disliked the fact his own culture, ways his family had followed for centuries, were getting hushed up to appease those new to their world. And Maria had looked up everything after that day to find he was right. Yule had become Christmas, Samhain disappearing beneath Halloween and Beltane was all but dead.

It had startled her, and upon reading more and more into it, with books provided by a Lord Black who was pleased to see her researching the world she'd been born to, she'd found herself wishing to celebrate these traditions. She couldn't see any other reason as to why they'd been banned other than the one Lord Black had given her. And she was almost ashamed.

Now that she understood the Black family views on this one thing, she was much more comfortable with them. Which led to the ease of their relations that she hadn't seen any other desk jockey show throughout the seven years she'd been here.

.

"Good morning Maria. No charms today, I'm here to register one Vulpecula Cassiopeia Black with the Ministry."

A thin folder passed for the Lord Black's hands to her own, and she flipped the cover open to have a peek at the information inside. It was the typical facts, blood type, weight, height, family and all that jazz, but Maria was more interested in the little picture placed upon the top right corner. A baby girl stared back out at her with the same husky blue eyes that she'd seen upon Mrs Regulus Black, the dark curls of hair that obviously came from her father. She was a very beautiful child, but Maria was coming to expect this now; she had filed every Black child so far after all.

"Number five, am I correct?" She asked, looking up at the grey eyed man who was sat regally upon the chair across from her desk.

Lord Black hummed in agreement, a little smile on his lips that told her he was oh so proud of himself. And so he should be. Maria had never met any of the Black children in person, for none of them were over six years old yet and thus not trusted to run riot in the Ministry, fabulous upbringing or not. But she had seen the pictures, as each file required a new photo every year. Every single child of Regulus Black, and then the three of his older brother Sirius, were beautiful. They were that one annoying family that were all completely gorgeous, not one of them didn't look as pretty as the other.

"Congratulations," Maria mused as she looked at the birth date of the baby girl, July 29th, but a few days ago.

"Thank you. I'm also here on some business for my godson, I'm afraid I'll be adding a bit more to your workload."

Maria turned her gaze to the child that'd taken up the second seat beside Regulus Black, sat just as proud as his god-father was. As if on cue, the boy smoothly bounced to his feet, sticking one hand out for her to accept with a small smile gracing his lips.

"Serpens Rabastan Lestrange."

Maria smiled, forcing down the judgement that had tried to leap up at his name. She knew who the Lestranges were, everyone did. She would have been well within her rights to cringe, but then again, most people said that about the Blacks. And she knew for a fact that Lord Black at the very least was a very idyllic man to get along with.

"Maria Anne Perry," and she would deny to her final day that she blushed as the eleven year old brushed his lips across her knuckles. He was such a little charmer, unsurprising with who he'd been raised by.

She'd been filing information for Serpens Lestrange ever since she got this job, but she'd never met him in person. She knew for a fact that Lord Black had taken his godson under his care when the boy's father had been thrown into Azkaban, but she had no idea who his mother was. She only knew for a fact that the boy's mother wasn't a good one, for Regulus Black had disowned the boy from her, and he would not do that unless it was under extreme circumstances. The boy had grown up in a loving household though, and it was obvious that Lord Black pretty much thought of the boy as one of his own.

"We're here to register both my idiot of a brother and Serpens as Animagi."

Maria nodded, accepting the two forms she was presented before the words actually caught up with her.

"Excuse me?"

"Sirius, being the idiot that he is, thought it a splendid idea to teach Serpens how to transform, and has been doing so for the past four years. I assure you, the first I heard of it was when the boy came barrelling into the kitchen yesterday in full form."

Maria turned to the Lestrange, taking in the dark red of his hair and the bright green of his eyes. He was a very good looking boy and a tiny bit taller than most his age, but he didn't look that special. Still though-

"Could I maybe see?" She fought to keep the blush from returning to her face, but it was a fair request, as sceptical as she was.

The boy grinned, taking a step back before his eyes closed in concentration. And then, stood before her was an adolescent jaguar, not quite a cub but not quite an adult either. The distinguishing mark was pretty obvious, being the dark lightning bolt that sat upon it's forehead, the same shade as Serpens Lestrange's hair. Lord Black offered his godson a low clap as the boy changed back, a rather large smile upon his face as he did so, Maria quickly joining the applause.

"That was very impressive Mr Lestrange."

The boy's grin grew somewhat sheepish, rubbing nervously at the back of his head in the most bashful manner that Maria had ever seen upon a child.

"Thanks."

"Yes, well, those forms are for both Serpens and Sirius, there's one in their about Serpens' seats on Wizengamot as well, I'm sure you'll be able to get those filed quickly, right Miss Perry?" Lord Black was stood now, business clearly done and Maria shot to her feet too, shaking the man's hand as she did so.

"Of course Lord Black. I look forwards to your next visit."

* * *

Striding out of the Ministry of Magic, Serpens took in as much fresh air as he could in a single breath. That had been the first time he'd ever visited the bowels of their ruling body, and he couldn't say that he was very impressed. It was no wonder his Uncle Regulus had joined the man trying to tear it down, even if he did go about it the wrong way.

Behind him, Regulus Black watched his godson with a smile, rolling his eyes as he did so. It'd almost come to disaster, that day Sirius had turned up on his doorstep with a small child wrapped up in his arms. The two of them, along with Kreacher, had struggled for four seemingly endless months. They'd come out of that dark time with heavy bags beneath their eyes, wan skin and a righteous terror of formula milk. That was when a miracle happened, the miracle that brought the dawn of a new era, sunlight banishing that dark time. Sirius managed to trap a girl into a relationship. Oh, and Regulus courted himself a wife too.

Female influence upon Grimmauld Place slapped away all the terror they'd witnessed in those four months, and the two male Blacks had never been happier to see something come to an end. By the mercy of whatever gods existed, Walburga Black had stayed at her parents' home, insisting that Regulus was now the heir and that Grimmauld Place was his. She'd probably be very disappointed to see the house elf heads in the trash the next day, but Regulus wasn't about to upset his mother by pointing it out, and Sirius had no way to contact her to do so himself.

Regardless, the two Blacks had come to the conclusion that they were indeed very much in over their heads when it came to raising a child, and clung to the two females as only a dying man did to Serpens, now that he knew the full story, refused to tease the two brothers on it. Because that's where his little cousins had come from, and if it weren't for the Black brothers' inability to cope, he'd probably have grown up on his own. So really, it was only the two females that ribbed them about it.

And the Blacks' accepted it, because that meant no more formula milk for their own children.

"What have we got left to purchase Uncle Reg?" Serpens tilted his head back slightly, looking up at the tall form of his uncle who just rolled his light grey eyes, gesturing for the boy to lead onwards towards Diagon. They'd left the Ministry through one of the back-door exits, which was only known to the Lords and Ladies who'd pop in for a Wizengamot meeting. It avoided the rush and crush of the public entrance, and most importantly, opened up onto a small backstreet that led through to Diagon Alley.

Running a hand through his hair, Serpens Lestrange pocketed the other and allowed a smile to bloom across his face, green eyes scanning the surrounding buildings.

"Just your robes and wand; I had Kreacher pick everything else up in advance, but we really need you there in person for your robes and wand."

"So we're stopping by Gringotts- will we have time for Flourish and Blotts?" He heard his godfather snort in exasperation, but otherwise confirm that yes, they would most certainly have the time spare to stop by the book-store.

Serpens wasn't afraid to admit the fact he loved knowledge. Not for the sake of knowing things though, but for the fact that knowledge was power. Regulus was smart, he knew a lot and was forever expanding his spell arsenal as a result. Because he was smart enough to make his own curses and charms, and thus, no one else would know the counters the first time he used them. Even if he was publishing a good many with the Minstery, he kept the best ones as family secrets. And his Uncle Sirius, he was a genius at Transfigurations and Defence. He'd wrote books on the subjects, whenever he could forcibly will himself to sit still long enough to do so. They were smart, they knew things, and as such, were incredibly powerful wizards.

Serpens was determined to surpass them, to become the strongest wizard in the world. Because then he'd be able to protect all his little cousins. Sirius had saved him from death's door, when he was nothing but a year old, and Serpens refused to ever be so defenceless again. So maybe he'd been using one of the wands lying around the Black family house to practice his spell work, and maybe he'd done so with the full blessing of both his guardians who'd even started teaching him magic behind the Black family wards four years ago. And maybe he was determined to keep his accidental magic by transforming it into wandless magic. He was a child of big ambitions after all. If Merlin could do it, then why couldn't he?

"Serpens, you're thinking too hard."

The dark haired boy snapped to attention, focusing instantly on the bank that was now in front of him. He'd zoned out again, focusing upon his future and the steps he'd need to take to get there instead of paying attention to where he was going again. A scowl overcame his features and Serpens made his was up the steps after his godfather, grimace and all.

.

For the past ten years, Regulus Black had been in and out of the goblin kingdom, whether it be due to his own family funds, or the fact he was juggling the Lestrange vault too. As all the Lestranges that could have looked after the money in the vaults were in prison, it'd fallen to Regulus to look after the investments by proxy through his guardianship of Serpens. However, now that Serpens was eleven, he'd be able to try for heir-ship and thus takeover the family vaults. Back when Bellatrix had married Rodolphus Lestrange, it'd been within her betrothal contract that an heir to the Lestrange family was to be provided after ten years. As that contract had now been breached, thanks to that pesky Azkaban business, Regulus was well within his rights as Black Lord to demand compensation. The fact his compensation came in the form of the not so legitimate Lestrange taking the spot as heir to the family was pretty much unheard of, but he was going to make this work. The goblins had no problem with this, as long as the money was being used in some way, they were happy.

That was why the two of them were stood within the office of one Rudnok, the goblin in charge of both the Black and Lestrange vaults. On the table was the heir ring to the House of Lestrange, a golden band with the family crest upon the smooth ruby it held.

"And what happens again if it rejects me?" Serpens asked, lifting the ring up to eye level and gazing at the jewellery with a frown.

Rudnok offered up a sharp toothed smile as he rubbed his hands together, the sharp nails catching the leathery skin as he twisted them about.

"If you're a Lestrange but unworthy, then it'll just be a light sting. But if you're an imposter, it'll be unpleasant."

Serpens grimaced again, twisting his hand till the ring was just an inch away from the finger it would rest upon should he be acknowledged as heir.

"You're a bloodthirsty little cretin, aren't you?"

His uncle gave a strangled groan at the insult, but the goblin's grin just darkened.

"Aren't we all?"

Serpens snorted and pushed the ring onto his finger.

.

The two of them left Gringotts with an expandable money pouch and a disappointed Rudnok.

Serpens tilted his hand from left to right, humming in amusement as the ring caught the mid-day sun. Beside him, Regulus rolled his eyes, dearly reminded of when he'd been presented the heir ring after Sirius had fled the house. Of course, that was after their father had cleaned the blood off from where it'd nicked their mother in the forehead. The ring he was planning on give to his eldest, little Thuban, when he turned eleven.

"We'll get your wand first Serpens, I don't fancy dragging you from the book store in all honesty."

Serpens huffed, rolling his eyes. If anything, the only reason Regulus wouldn't be pulling him away from the book shop was because he would be too busy looking himself. Serpens had taken after his uncle in that regard, much to Sirius' horror. The only books that man cared for were his own. Speaking of which-

"I still can't believe Sirius actual made the book list." He'd gotten his acceptance letter last week, and much to everyone's surprise, Sirius' latest book on defensive magic had been made the supplementary textbook for DADA. It was a good read, Serpens had flicked through it before it was sent off to the publishers. All about using your head and thinking outside the box when it came to defence. Serpens was forever thankful that Regulus had managed to talk the older Black out of calling the book 'Serious Defence by Sirius Black'. No matter how far away his teenaged years went, the man clung to his puns with all the viciousness of a coiling snake. It often drove Regulus to his his wits end, and they'd end up in the basement duelling before dinner was on the table.

"Neither can I," Regulus finally murmured, shaking his head slightly as if to show his disbelief, "considering that he was part of the Marauders, perhaps the most notorious pranksters in Hogwarts' history. If only his sixteen year old self could see him now."

Serpens grinned, eyes filtering over to the olden shop that belonged to Olivander. The crowd had been parting around them since they'd walked onto the main street, because everything about his Uncle Regulus screamed wealth. From the pricey material that his robes were made up of to his obviously aristocratic face, along with an air about him that only came from being born into a high class family. There were few that would dare to approach him while Regulus was so obviously focused.

"Mr Black." Of course, this women didn't seem to fit in with the rest. And the way she'd spoken to his Uncle wasn't disrespectful, but instead, stern. Like a teacher.

Serpens straightened, pulling his hands from his pockets to look at the woman currently addressing his godfather.

"Professor McGonagall," Regulus mused, offering the woman his warmest handshake and Serpens smiled. Ah, Sirius' old Head of House. Excellent. She was also the deputy headmistress, so she was clearly here for a muggle-born tour.

Tilting his head to a side, Serpens quickly picked up on the boy stood beside his mother, behind his future professor. His clothes suggested muggle, but with an obvious wealth about them, so from an upper-class family then. He was in for a shock, if he was used to being treated the best, because here he'd be at the bottom of the food-chain for those over-zealous pure-bloods. Serpens, however, was not one of them.

"I do believe Mr Black, that none of your children are over five years old?" It was an obvious question, so instead of letting Regulus say anything, Serpens stuck out his hand, smiling as the professor accepted it.

"Serpens Rabastan Lestrange, Regulus is my god-father and I'm with him for obvious reasons."

There was only the slightest tightening around her eyes at his middle and last name, but other than that, the Transfigurations professor acted perfectly cordial to him. Serpens pretended not to notice the fact she'd put herself between both him and the muggle-born.

"We were just about to get Serpens wand, will you be joining us?"

Her lips thinned, but she replied that it was an affirmative, stepping aside so that the muggle-born and his mother could see them.

"Mrs Finch-Fletchley, Mr Finch-Fletchley, this is Lord Regulus Black and his ward Serpens Lestrange, whom will be joining you this coming school year at Hogwarts. They're pure-blood wizards-"

"Actually, Serpens' mother was muggle-born."

This clearly threw the woman out the loop, for she looked back to Serpens with her eyes slightly wider than normal.

"Of course. Mr Black, Mr Lestrange, this is Mrs Breeanne Finch-Fletchley and her son Justin."

And just like that, Regulus' charm was on as they walked through the door, asking the muggle woman how she was feeling about the new world she'd found herself in, if she'd ever seen any of her son's accidental magic before; his uncle certainly had a way with words.

"You grew up in the wizarding world then?"

Serpens turned to the muggle-born boy, Justin, and nodded slightly, scanning the shop as he did so.

"Correct, I just claimed my birthright as the heir to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Lestrange."

"And how does one go about becoming an Ancient House?"

Serpens tilted his head to a side, thinking back on the history lessons Regulus and Sirius had both drilled into him, because 'you'll never learn anything in Binns' class, trust me'.

"If I remember correctly, it's got to be seven generations of pure-blood, and then prove that your family has made a valid contribution to magic as a whole. For my family, we had an ancestor in Ancient Greece that developed a method of Transfiguration to become an animal, called Animagi. Falco Aesalon was the one who came up with this, and it became a family secret, passing through the lines till it ended up in the hands of one Augustus Lestrange. In 1607, the Ministry of Magic was formed, and what had been a family secret, only shared a select few allies of the family such as Morgan le Fay before then, was presented before the committee. That's how we got our status as an Ancient and Noble House." It was only when he finished speaking that Serpens realized that all the adults had stopped to listen too, Regulus offering him a proud smile in return for the little lecture he'd given.

"I did not know that," Professor McGonagall finally mused, looking at Serpens with raised brows.

"So if this is a family technique, you can turn into an animal then?"

As an answer, Serpens flexed his back muscles before standing back, replaced by a young black panther, its tail twitching back and forth around its paws.

"That was all Sirius," Regulus quickly explained to his ex-professor, who was torn between disbelief and her anger at the young Lord Black beside her. Serpens watched in amusement, sure that back home, Sirius was no doubt feeling a great deal of foreboding.

.

Justin's wand turned out to be Unicorn hair set in cedar wood, a rounded twelve inches long. It was at this point that Serpens had stepped forwards, ready to start testing for his own wand.

It was thirty minutes and one rather large discard pile later that Ollivander returned, a thoughtful frown on his face and a dusty looking box in his hand.

The three adults had sat themselves down by now, and Justin was jumping up and down on the balls of his feet, obviously impatient to get on with the next leg of his tour, regardless of the fact he'd been the one to insist on staying till Serpens had gotten his wand.

Ollivander removed the wand from it's casing as if he were touching a priceless artefact, holding it out for Serpens to accept. Frowning at the man's odd behaviour, Serpens reached out and gripped the wood, instantly feeling the spark that'd been absent in all the others. He stepped back from Ollivander, looking down at the wand in his hand before giving it a gentle wand. A stream of golden and silver sparks flew from the tip, showering down upon the counter-top as the fizzled out of existence. A warmth spread up his arm, coiling around in his chest as his own magic accepted the match, almost as if it were breathing easy for the first time in decades.

"Curious, very curious..."

Serpens looked up, sliding his wand into the holster that Regulus had bought when the first entered the shop, placing his money upon the worktop with his free hand.

"Pardon?"

"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr Lestrange. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail-feather resides in your wand gave another feather, just one other. You see, I was expecting this wand to go to young Cheston Potter, who left here with his wand just the past day. But then again, the wand does chose the wizard."

Serpens narrowed his eyes, shooting Regulus a glance as the man came up to place a hand upon his shoulder.

"I believe Cheston Potter destined for that wand, seeing as it was its brother that tried to kill him."

Serpens didn't even get a moment to think about it, because Regulus was bustling him out of the shop, offering their previous company nothing more than a curt goodbye.

"We'll get robes another day," was the only thing he heard in his ear before the two of them were suddenly surrounded on all sides, pressed inwards before finally popping out again inside the entrance hallway of Grimmauld Place.

Serpens stumbled, almost tripping as he tried to focus his mind, words still spinning about and not really sinking in. Looking up, he spotted Sirius with a squealing bundle of child attached to his back, wide grin upon his face. However, that quickly dropped off when he got a read on the tense atmosphere.

"What happened?"

* * *

**I'm pleased to present the start of Book I, with Serpens Lestrange. Okay, below is all the family information you might need;  
**

_**Lily's Children;  
**_- Cheston James Potter (James Charlus Potter father) born 31st July 1980 Ten minutes to midnight  
- Serpens Rabastan Lestrange (Rabastan Lestrange father) born 31st July 1980 three minutes to midnight  
- Marigold Lily Potter (James Charlus Potter father) born 2nd June 1982

_**Sirius Black's and Seraphina Abbott's Children;  
**_- Procyon Sirius Black, born 21st December 1984, male  
- Rasalas Alphard Black, born 13th February 1987, male  
- Aquila Andromeda Black, born 1st January 1990, female

_**Regulus Black's and Anthea Fornes' Children;  
**_- Thuban Regulus Black, born 21st June 1986, male  
- Lepus Orion Black, born 7th May 1987, male, twin  
- Corvus Arcturus Black born 7th May 1987, male, twin  
- Lyra Narcissa Black, born 23rd August 1989, female  
- Vulpecula Cassiopeia Black, born 29th July 1991, female

**.**

**I'm a big big fan of the 'Not a Potter' stories, along with the wrong BWL stories, so if you do have some recommendations for me to read, please let me know? Did I also mention this will be my first ever Slash fic? I've never wrote one before, so when it gets to that bit -not for a long time yet- please be kind? **

**In regards to Sirius, he's neither dark nor light at the moment. He hasn't spoke to James' since the man lied about the fact Hadrian had been offed by Death Eaters before their eyes. Since he knows the truth, he hasn't really spoken to them because he at first wasn't sure how to without revealing what he did, but now he's really not pleased they discarded Hadrian so easily. **

**As for the two Mrs Blacks, they're obviously OC's, but they'll play a very minimal role. They're their simply to be the female influence that Serpens needed in childhood. **

**.**

**Thank you all for the encouragemnet with this, I had no idea if it was worth continuing and to hear so awesome things makes me very happy. **

**Tsume  
xxx**


	3. Blood and Power

**Name Your Poison**

_x_

**Book I**

_**Chapter 2  
**__**Blood and Power  
**__1st September 1991_

Standing before the Hogwarts express, Serpens ran a hand through his dark, wavy hair, a curious frown upon his face. For the past month, the three oldest male occupants of Grimmauld Place had all but thrown themselves into research on brother wands and what it could mean. However, they'd found nothing substantial that could link both himself and Voldemort together, other than the fact that both were present when Cheston Potter rebounded the killing curse. And that Serpens had gotten a scar out of it, which Regulus had been unable to hide short of using a blood glamour upon it. On the plus side, the three of them had waked away from their mass study with a sudden understanding of in-depth wand lore. Let it never be said they did things by half.

Now he was stood upon Platform nine and three quarters, Sirius and his oldest son, Procyon, beside him. Regulus was off at a Wizengamot meeting, and would be from today onwards voting Serpens' seats for him. As the Lestrange heir, that responsibility had fallen to him, as his uncle was actually the head of the Lestrange family, but incarcerated.

"You'll write, to all of us, every week." Sirius demanded, ignoring the stares of the people around him. Serpens nodded, adjusting the cloak around his shoulders before kneeling to Procyon's level. The six year old all but threw himself at the boy, wrapping his skinny arms around the boy's neck and pressing his face into the crook of Serpens' neck.

"Do you have to go?" It came out a bit muffled and Serpens smiled, running one hand through the boy's dark hair whilst the other clung just as tightly to the boy's back. He'd never been apart from any of the Black children since they'd been born, not for more than a day that was. And now, now he'd be away until the Christmas holidays.

"I'm afraid so, you don't want me to be stupid do you? I've got to go if I'm going to get smarter than your dad and Uncle Regulus. Even though it's not that hard to be smarter than your dad."

Sirius gave a cry of outrage as Procyon giggled, dabbing at his eyes that looked suspiciously wet.

"You're gonna get smarter?"

"I'll be the smartest," Serpens promised, drawing the boy back by his shoulders until he was looking him in those grey eyes, so like his father. Procyon was the spitting image of Sirius, right down to the merry-wild curve to the edge of his lips, even if his skin tone was slightly more tanned from his mother.

"You'll look after your brother and sister right? And all your cousins? Especially Vulpecula? She's only a tiny baby, so she needs you to look after her, like I did you. Got that?"

"You can count on me!" Procyon accompanied this exclamation with a furious nod of his head, earning an almost watery laugh from the boy he considered his older brother. Standing up, Serpens was drawn into a strong hug, Sirius rocking the two of them back and forth and barking out a laugh.

"I know you're not into the pranks, but just maybe a little one? Please?"

Laughing, Serpens patted the man on his back, letting himself pause for a moment on the comfort of his other god-fathers arms. He was warm, with a scent to him that Serpens would forever associate with being safe and cared for. Sirius smelt like home. And Serpens was going to miss that while he was away.

"Padfoot?"

Serpens froze at the unfamiliar tone, noting how tense Sirius' arms had gone before he forcefully released him. He got a moment to see a head of messy dark hair and glasses before Sirius was pushing him towards the train, ordering him to go get on and enjoy himself. Procyon waved madly as he went, one hand clutching at his father's so there was no chance of losing him in the hustle and bustle. Serpens raced into a compartment, pulling out his trunk and unshrinking it. The second it was stuffed up in the railings, Serpens nearly pressed his face to the glass -but he managed to hold on to his dignity, if only just- as he looked out at his uncle. The man seemed to be in the middle of a vicious looking argument with the messy haired man, and it only took Serpens a second to recognise the boy beside him.

His twin, the Boy-Who-Lived, Cheston Potter. He was smaller than Serpens, with the same glasses as his father and the freckles of his mother. The big, hazel eyes seemed startled to find his father almost willing to come to blows with the man he'd previously addressed, Procyon even looking rather upset by the argument that was breaking out. The man, who could be none other than James Potter, was soon enough backed up by his wife and Serpens gritted his teeth, nails digging small crescent moons into the soft flesh of his palms.

That pretty red-head was the one who'd been begrudgingly willing to end his life, on the off chance -which later, Regulus had scoffed at- that he was the Dark Lord in hiding. A little girl, perhaps nine years old or so, was all but hiding behind her and Serpens took in the familiar features. So, he had a half sister too, he hadn't known that.

Lily Potter's eyes met his for a moment and Serpens stared back, letting no emotion show on his face. He wouldn't give her the satisfaction of knowing she'd hurt him. As far as he was now concerned, that woman was nothing more than a stranger to him.

Cracking open the window, Serpens stuck his torso out, waving to Procyon, who abandoned Sirius to come say goodbye once again.

"I'll see you at Christmas, be good and make sure your dad get's home okay. Tell Uncle Regulus what happened, he'll know what to do, okay?"

The young Black nodded, fisting his hands for a second before offering up another small wave when Sirius called him over, ready to leave. James Potter did not seem impressed at all with whatever Sirius had just spat at him, a red blush staining the cheeks upon which the rim of his glasses sat. Lily Potter, however, was still looking at him with the same green eyes he saw in the mirror every day, only they looked so very sad.

Serpens pushed down whatever monster was currently trying to claw up his windpipe, instead dropping back into the compartment and leaning back in his seat. He didn't want to think too much on the Potters, not when they'd probably been too busy with their perfect little lives to even think about paying any thought to their missing son. Instead, Serpens fetched down the book Regulus had sent him off with, the one with all his own creations wrote within the pages, along with how to use them, the thought process on how they were made, how they worked, and anything else the man had thought would interest him.

It was, after all, going to be a long train ride.

.

It was four minutes before the train was due to set off that the door to his compartment opened, a nervous looking first year poking their head in. He was a stringy looking boy, with a head of light brown and matching eyes. He scanned the compartment, stopping as he saw Serpens and blinking surprise.

"Mind if I join you? Everywhere else his full..." He trailed off as Serpens made a lazy gesture to the opposite bench, flicking his book shut as he did so. The boy dragged his trunk in, looking between his luggage and rack. Looking upwards because surely these kids had to know something, Serpens gave a smooth twist of his wrist, wand springing into his hand. The boy's trunk was soon safely stashed over head via levitation charm, the boy himself sat beneath it, holding out his arm.

"Theodore Nott."

Serpens took the offered hand, shaking and taking note of everything. His fingers were smooth, lacking any form of callus to the skin, and his shake weak. It was no fault of the boy's, he was putting in the effort to offer a solid greeting, but it was more a lack of muscles. He clearly didn't do any hard work, nor did he play any Quidditch. Regulus had taught him how to pick up these things, and he was able already able to tell if someone played Quidditch or not, or what hand they held their wand in, as long as they'd been handling a wand long enough to start getting callus skin from the wood.

"Serpens Lestrange."

The boy, Nott, snapped to attention, looking him over again with narrowed eyes as Serpens sat back in the couch, pulling out a small journal he kept on him at all times to note anything of interest down.

"I was unaware there was a Lestrange heir." Fishing for information. He'd bite, just this once.

"I claimed heir-ship a month ago."

The Nott boy hummed slightly, sitting back and scrutinizing him with narrowed eyes. Serpens was unperturbed, pulling out the quill that Regulus had charmed to self ink. Much more convenient for a train journey where he'd otherwise end up with ink all down his top. And he began to write.

'_Nott heir, weedy looking boy, doesn't play Quidditch. No hesitation before offering a handshake, somewhat proud and probably right handed. Either hasn't read the textbooks before school, or has not read those required for charms. Didn't think to use magic to move his trunk, when it was the obvious answer. Pure-blood, possible ally, will probably end up in Slytherin._'

Snapping the book shut, Serpens exchanged it for his previous reading material, watching as the Nott boy twitched slightly. Clearly not used to being dismissed in such a manner, probably waited on at home, like all other pure-bloods. Unsure of social interaction, only child and seen very little of other children his own age. Recluse. He continued to watch the boy as the train station pulled out, noting the fact he'd chosen to play a game with a deck of cards rather than read his text-books. Clearly not inclined to study out of free-choice then.

A frown crossed Serpens face, wondering how many other children would assume that just because they were born into this world it would instantly make them better. He was going to be the top of the class, top of their year. He was determined to get the best grades Hogwarts had ever seen, and to prove that Sirius had done the right thing when he'd saved his life. He was going to give something back to the magical community, and he was going to drag the Lestrange name back from the ditch it'd found itself in.

"Did you grow up with your mum then?"

Serpens' head snapped up, eyes bright as he took in the squirming Nott across from him.

"No, I did not."

"Well then, who-"

"My god-father, Regulus Black."

"Oh." The boy was quiet from then onwards and Serpens wouldn't lie and say he was upset by that.

.

It was half an hour into the train ride that the compartment door opened once again, a girl with bushy brown hair poking her head in with a curious look upon her face. Serpens lifted his own gaze from his book, book-marking the page and pressing it down on the seat beside him.

"Can I help you?"

"Have you seen a toad, Neville has lost one."

Serpens frowned, looking at the exceedingly nervous boy behind the girl. He knew who Neville Longbottom was, and something horrid twisted up inside his stomach at the sight of the boy. His father was part of the reason this boy was practically an orphan. Serpens didn't know what to think of his father, for he'd never met him. However, he knew for certain that he hated what the man had done to Neville. Not only had he torture the Longbottoms into insanity, but he'd been caught on the scene too. Although it was obvious the man hadn't know about his child, for it's not like Lily Potter would ever tell him, the fact a Slytherin was stupid enough to get caught made Serpens want to tear his hair out. There was such a thing as biding your time.

Regulus was pretty sure the Dark Lord wasn't dead, that he'd probably had safety measure in place to prevent his demise. The fact that the dark mark upon his followers arms hadn't completely faded -something tied to the man's magic- was significant proof. So instead of doing something useful whilst they waited for his return, the Lestrange's had instead shipped themselves off to Azkaban. Sure, they were loyal, so much so it was almost enough to stick the lot of them in Hufflepuff. In fact, he was clueless as to where their self preservation was, because the facts showed any Death Eater that'd escaped prison would be in much better health than those that hadn't slithered their way out. So over, all, loyalty was nice an all, but those on the outside would still be more use to the Dark Lord if he ever managed to return.

"Have you got something with your toad's scent on?" Serpens asked, getting to his feet and rotating his shoulders about in his sockets. The girl seemed completely confused by his question, no wonder why, whilst the boy whimpered slightly.

"H-He was in m-my pocket."

"That'll do." Serpens made no move to approach the boy, instead letting his eyes flutter close, reaching for that wild instinct inside of him that would take over, forcing his body to shift out of its human skin.

There was a shriek, so loud compared to his human hearing and Serpens winced, letting his eyelids blink open till he caught sight of the very nervous blond boy. Ignoring the girl -clearly a muggle-born from all the questions she was asking a suddenly flustered Nott- Serpens padded over to the boy, sniffing at the pocket he'd gestured to not a moment previously. The scent was faint, his nose wasn't really made for tracking like Padfoot's was, but it would do the job.

Once he'd gotten it memorized, Serpens began making his way down the corridor, feeling the power that was coiled within his limbs, begging him to start running, jumping and leaping around. To push himself to the physical limit. He couldn't quite do that yet, he hadn't had the room in Grimmauld Place, so he was waiting till he could sneak into the Forbidden Forest.

A perfect was walking down the corridor and let out a startled scream at the sight of him, but Serpens was already passed the girl by the time stopped fumbling and actually had a grip on her wand. He could hear the boy, Neville, and the muggle-born girl he was with stumbling after him. Nott was probably back in the compartment, snooping in his book. Good thing he'd taken to writing in Norwegian; bless Anthea for teaching him.

Pushing open a compartment door, he ignore the people inside and plucked up the toad in his mouth, right before it could get away. It was a foul thing and he all but spat it at the feet of it's owner, transforming back in one slick move as the perfect he'd scared half to death gaped at him.

"Don't lose it again, that thing taste foul." Serpens brushed past the three, heading back to his compartment. He wasn't surprised to see Nott leap back, dropping his journal as he did so. Irritated yes, surprised, no.

"I-I was just-"

"Save it, I don't care." Taking his seat once again, Serpens reached for his book, just as the breathless muggle-born caught up to him.

"How did you do that?! I've read all of our text-books and nothing in them said about turning into an animal ourselves, Professor McGonagall could do it too but she didn't explain it to me, will we learn it at school and if we do how can you already do it?"

"Stop bothering him, like a filthy mudblood like you could understand."

Serpens scowled, unsure if he was more upset at being pestered or at the slur that'd just come out of Nott's mouth.

"I hope, Nott, that you're not implying that blood makes you better. Because if so, I'd like to see you show some more advance magic like I just did."

"What?" Of course he didn't get it. He'd heard the name Lestrange, and instantly associated it with the three in prison. He had their name, therefore, he must have their views. Heaven forbid he be an original person.

"I'm a half-blood. What does it matter? There are many pure-bloods compared to Animagi, and I'm the youngest one of that. I'd rather be known for my magical talent than my near incestuous ancestry. As for how I did that, four long years of daily study." Taking out his wand, Serpens threw up a silencing spell around him, stopping any more noise from reaching his ears.

Already he was tired of social interaction with children his age. None of the Black children bothered him like this, they would just be amazed by his skills and then ask him to show them something else. They'd never demand he explain himself, or attempt to put him down because his blood was less pure than theirs. Then again, none of them were over six years old either.

Maybe the Black brothers should have taken him out a bit more.

.

They arrived at Hogwarts just as the sun was setting. After the revelation of him being a half-blood, Nott had left the compartment, either disgusted with him, or annoyed at being ignored. Maybe both, Serpens didn't care too much. Clearly it was going to be a bit harder to make friends then he thought. Then again, he wasn't here to make friends, he was here to learn to be the best wizard he could be, for the only limitation he could possibly have was the ones he set himself.

The muggle-born had flounced off when she realized that Serpens wasn't hearing any of her questions, looking quite upset but determined. Probably going to ask around on what he'd just done. Serpens didn't really care what she was up to either, but she seemed thirsty for knowledge. Muggle-born she may be, but he wasn't going to push her aside just for that. She may make a good ally yet, he'd have to keep an eye on her.

He'd noticed the wand the Longbottom boy had owned back when he was scenting for the toad. It was slightly worn around the handle, showing that it was evidently not a newly bought wand. And considering the Longbottoms were far from low on funds, that meant it had to have some form of sentimental connection to the boy. So his mother or father's wand then. If it hadn't accepted him, it'd be a rather large blow to the boy's magic talents. He'd smelt of plants too, so he clearly had a like for them if he spent enough time around them to pick up the scent. So, he liked Herbology then, and maybe he was good at it. Another one to keep an eye on.

For a moment, Serpens' thoughts danced to the Nott heir, wondering if the boy was already spreading his status as a half-blood in an attempt to turn the others against him. Not that he really cared, he'd flatten the lot of them in terms of magical skill, of that he was pretty sure.

Another one to keep an eye on this year would be his half brother Cheston. He'd not seen anything noticeably impressive when he'd gotten his first glimpse of the boy back at the train station, but then again, he had reflected a killing curse. There had to be something more to him.

His fingers brushed against his fringe of waves and half curls, running a hand over the disguised scar that sat atop his forehead. It was a blood glamour, that only Sirius, Regulus or himself could undo, but one could still feel the scar if you knew where it was. Sirius had explained the scar was probably from the backlash of energy that'd been the rebounded killing curse, and that it'd absorbed some dark magic that had neither decreased in potency nor given any indication it would do so. Regulus would often given him a yearly check up around new year to make sure everything was okay, but he seemed pretty sure the magic was being held back by some of his own.

And as long as it wasn't hindering him, Serpens didn't care.

Stepping off the train, Serpens brushed his fringe back from his face, letting out a low sigh as he gathered with the other first years. He could see a flash of messy dark hair and knew Cheston Potter was holding court with the other first years, the ginger hair of the latest Weasley stood beside him.

Whenever Regulus came home from the summer Wizengamot meeting he was always grumbling about Arthur Weasley beneath his breath. After all, the man was always on the other side of the political scale than what Regulus was. Weasley was determined to see all the previous celebrations banned and the muggle ones celebrated instead, whilst Regulus wanted the old traditions taught in school. Weasley wanted wizards to accept muggle culture, Regulus wanted the muggle-borns educated in wizarding culture so that they could chose which to follow. Serpens had to agree with his uncle.

He had no problem with the muggle traditions, as long as he was allowed to practice his own. Just because the muggle-borns were coming here, they shouldn't assume everything was the same. They should be able to chose between keeping their own traditions, or taking up those of the wizarding world. If only the rest of the wizarding world could see that then it would mean an end to all this stupid fighting they insisted upon. His father would not have had anything to fight for -because Serpens refused to believe the man was stupid enough to join a war for a matter as silly as blood- and then Serpens might have grown up knowing one parent. Did the man even know about him? Serpens was not sure, but he did know that after ten years in Azkaban, prisoners were allowed visitors to attempt to catch them up on what was happening in the outside world.

He just hoped Regulus would allow him to join him when Black Lord made that trip.

The gathering of first years were escorted over to the docks, where a collection of worn looking boats were tied up, ready and waiting to ferry their charges across the watery surface before them. The giant of a man called out that there was to be no more than four to a boat, and Serpens had no plans to stick around and wait to see if there was a spot left for him.

Instead he was the first of their little gathering to stride forwards, a graceful hop seeing him land in the belly of the boat. The wood was aged, but well enchanted. He knew from the tales of the older Black brothers that the boats had been around for a very long time. They'd probably brought both Dumbledore and the Dark Lord to Hogwarts, along with many more famous witches and wizards. And the vast majority of those would have all been nervous children, looking to others for reassurance. He doubted there had been more than a handle whom had sat back, self-assured that they were the best thing to be approaching Hogwarts that year. He liked to think that he was one of those few.

And judging from the other boy who'd seated himself in a boat now, Cheston Potter probably thought the same of himself. He'd reserve judgement of his twin for now. He was probably under a crushing pressure, the weight of everyone's expectations heavy upon his shoulders. It's not like he'd made a conscious decision as a child to throw some of the killing curse energy on Serpens. Hell, did the boy even know about his younger twin? No, he'd wait and allow Cheston to decide their relations. If he made a move towards Serpens, than the Lestrange would return the favour, be it good or bad.

"Do you mind if we sit with you?"

Serpens looking around to see two girls stood on the docks, one blushing and playing with her red hair and the other stood proud. It was probably the blonde that'd spoken to him, judging by the way they stood she was the most outgoing of the two.

"Not at all, feel free."

The two girls took up the front bench, a dark skinned boy following not a second afterwards with a polite nod towards Serpens as he seated himself beside the boy.

"Blaise Zabini," he introduced himself, dipping his head to the two girls as the boat began it's journey at the call of their guide, whom Serpens was almost sure was at least half giant. "I'm pureblood."

"Susan Bones, also pureblood."

"Hannah Abbott," the pigtailed blonde smiled, nervously playing with her fingers, "half-blood."

"Me too," Serpens muttered, eyes scanning the leaves that fell from the overhanging trees, attempting to get his first glimpse of Hogwarts, "Serpens Lestrange."

As he expected their were three sharp intakes of breath, surprised gasps and two open mouths when he took a moment to look at the three. Zabini had only just managed to hold onto his pure-blood mask, but even his eyes were a little wide.

"A half-blood Lestrange?"

"I wasn't raised by either parent, but you should know that considering my father and all."

"I gathered," Zabini murmured, ignoring the two girls who'd only just managed to close their mouths, looking wearily at Serpens, like he might suddenly strike out at them if they moved too quickly.

"So am I correct in assuming you were the half-blood that Nott was whining about? Nott was complaining that you didn't care for blood, only those with power."

'_There is no good and evil, there is only power...and those too weak to seek it_'. The thought sent a shiver up his spine and Serpens was almost sure that he'd heard those words before, or at least thought about them. But he couldn't quite recall when.

"Correct. Pure-blood wouldn't save someone in a fight to the death now would it? As far as I'm concerned, survival is all that matters. I am nothing like my parents, that I promise you."

The two girls nodded, looking slightly struck at his words whilst Zabini offered a curious smile. But his dark eyes were narrowed, calculating. The boy would probably be a Slytherin too, no doubt trying to work out if Serpens had the power to back up his words, if he would be a useful ally.

He knew because no doubt there was the same look in his own eyes.

.

They were given a quaint little introduction, the ghosts floating by as they waited. Professor McGonagall led them down the center of the great hall, ignoring the awe from those following her. Serpens would admit the ceiling was certainly and impressive sight, no doubt more so for a muggle-born unused to magic.

Speaking of muggle-borns, Serpens watched as the bushy haired girl who'd been helping out the Longbottom was sorted into Gryffindor a few minutes after eagerly ramming the hat upon her head. Crabbe and Goyle were the first two males to go to Slytherin, though why Serpens wasn't sure. Maybe they had some form of ambition, because they certainly didn't look cunning or resourceful. As she went, the muggle-born Hermione Granger caught his eyes with a curious frown, brown eyes flickering from him to Nott, who was stood as far away from Serpens as possible. No doubt she'd gotten an earful about him, but as a muggle-born, she wouldn't automatically think him evil the second she heard his name. The Longbottom boy wasn't stood that far away from him actually, no doubt waiting for his name to be called out.

And just like that, McGonagall caught his gaze and gave a barely noticeable nod.

"Lestrange, Serpens."

There was a sudden hush as Serpens made his way forwards, ignoring the stunned silence, which was quickly followed by harsh whispers, no doubt discussing how he could possibly be here. It was known Bellatrix had not bore a child, so that meant he was from the younger brother who was not married. Already the whole hall knew he was illegitimate, he could already imagine the reaction when the word he was a half-blood spread around.

Just before the brim of the old hat came down over his head, he caught sight of the absolute horror upon Longbottom's face and Serpens allowed himself a small wince at the sight. No doubt he was panicking over the name, and the fact the boy who'd helped him on the train was the son of a Lestrange, the reason he was pretty much an orphan.

"_Oh, what an interesting mind you have here_."

'_Hello hat_'.

The hat in question gave a low chuckle, shuffling about so that it could get comfortable upon his head.

"_My, so much ambition, I already know what to do with you. But for the sake of things, lets have a little talk. Gryffindor is obviously out; though you're brave enough to face things head on, you'd prefer it with careful planning and research done before hand, correct? None of that jumping in head first business._"

Serpens was brought back to the memory of playing with Procyon and Thuban, the oldest children of Sirius and Regulus respectfully. He'd participated in a prank war with Sirius just to keep the older children happy, and he'd always be willing to play splat wars with the two of them. Even then, he liked to plan out his attacks, and wasn't afraid of putting himself on the front line if it meant victory in the end.

"_And Hufflepuff, well, there's no loyalty to you but to those you consider family, am I right? Of course I am. And while Ravenclaw would certainly appreciate your desire for knowledge, they'd be a tad terrified of the lengths you'll go to get it, to prove yourself. I once had another half-blood sit upon this stool wishing for greatness, almost a thousand years ago. He too went to Slytherin._"

'_Merlin?_'

"_Correct Mr Lestrange. Salazar would burn me if I were to put you anywhere other than his house. You do have some big plans, but is it all to protect your family, or is there still that little part of you determined to prove your mother and the headmaster wrong? Oh don't worry, I can't tell them anything I find out here. You are right though, you'll do great things in_ Slytherin!"

Serpens took the hat from his head and offered it to McGonagall, heading towards the snake house that were all clapping heartily at the sight of him, no doubt happy to have such a big name back in their house. He was a surprise, but not an unpleasant one.

Just wait till the found out his blood status.

* * *

"I don't get it, why was everyone so horrified by Serpens Lestrange?"

Hermione Granger was not happy. She'd fully expected to know all the important things when coming into this world. She'd known there'd be a big hype over the sight of Cheston Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived. He was the big thing at the moment, known for doing the impossible and reflecting the killing curse. She'd read all about it.

But she'd not found anything on Serpens Lestrange, and everyone seemed to be in some form of horrified awe to see him. He was only an eleven year old boy, so it couldn't be something he'd done. If it were as bad as they were implying, then he wouldn't be allowed in school, and he'd been kind enough to help both herself and Neville out, looking for the boy's toad in what she now knew to be an Animagus form. It was apparently a very advanced piece of spell-work, and she'd admit it'd certainly looked impressive, watching that not quite fully grown jaguar walk down the halls of the train.

"Oh, you're a muggle-born, no wonder you don't know." Cheston Potter had seated himself not too far from where she was located, a frown on his face and hazel eyes hard. He'd also been sorted into Gryffindor, much like herself. Though she'd almost ended up in Ravenclaw. Okay, so this was something all the wizarding world knew apparently.

"The Lestranges, Rabastan, Rodolphus and his wife Bellatrix are Death Eaters and in Azkaban for life. They tor- they tortured a witch and wizard for so long that they lost their mind completely." Oh.

Hermione blinked, looking over at the dark haired boy sat across the hall from them. He was sat up to the Slytherin table beside a dark skinned boy, paying no attention to the rest of his house-mates, who were clearly trying to engage him in conversation. His father and maybe his mother, depending on which Lestrange he was the son of, were in prison. At least one of his parents had followed that Dark Lord and done unspeakable things.

"My parents."

It took Hermione a moment to realize that quite voice belonged to Neville Longbottom, and she turned to him in confusion.

"It was my parents that they tortured."

Hermione couldn't hold back a gasp. Neville had lost his parents to the Lestranges, and it was a Lestrange that'd helped him on the train. Hermione wasn't sure what to feel, some form of emotion churning about inside of her.

"The war ended in 1981 right, that was ten years ago. So he can't have been raised by his parents... Maybe he's not like them?"

Cheston Potter's friend, the red head, snorted, stuffing another piece of chicken into his mouth as he did so.

"He's from a dark family. Just because he wasn't raised by them doesn't change the fact he is a Lestrange."

Hermione frowned, because by that ideology, she wouldn't be able to shake the muggle from her. He was practically implying that she wouldn't be as good a witch. Sitting back and stabbing at a carrot with her fork, she promised to at least reserve judgement on Serpens Lestrange.

And from the look Neville had just shot the Slytherin table, he seemed just as confused over the boy's help earlier that day now that he knew who he was.

* * *

The walk down to the Slytherin dungeons was just as quiet as when they had all piled into the great hall, only the occasional muttering from the students. Serpens was more than content to just keep walking and not talk to anyone, Zabini equally as quiet beside him, but then someone grabbed his arm and forced him to spin round.

"You're a half-blood?!"

Serpens frowned, first looking down at the hand clutching his sleeve until the other boy got the hint and let go. Then he actually met the grey eyes, taking in all of the boy's features. He knew those eyes, those were Black eyes. Coupled with the light blond hair, Serpens knew who the boy was without even having to dig through his mental map of the Black family tree. Draco Lucius Malfoy, pure-blood and heir to the House of Malfoy. He was obviously rather aggressive judging by the fact he'd grabbed hold of him, and clearly wasn't used to waiting for an answer if the red that was starting to tint his cheeks was anything to go by. They'd arrived at the common room entrance now, the wall opening up to permit them entrance.

"Yes," Serpens added, two whispered voices taking all his attention away from his year-mates.

"_New batch, which one are you rooting for?_"

"_I heard there's a Malfoy in this year. A Greengrass too._"

"_One of the second years was muttering about a surprise Lestrange, I'll bet my fangs on that one._" The tone of voices was very different than anything Serpens had heard before, and it wasn't until he noticed the portrait of Salazar Slytherin that he found the source. The two snakes upon the man's shoulder were conversing and Serpens was almost blind-sided by the fact he could understand them.

He was a Parselmouth.

He'd never seen a snake before outside of pictures, never met one. Which would be why he hadn't known about this gift up until now. Oh, Regulus had told him about the Dark Lord had his tendency to speak to snakes, Sirius muttering darkly under his breath as he did so.

But it certainly wasn't a gift in the Lestrange line. Had it come from his mother? Surely not, she was a muggle-born, unless she was a descendant from a squib of the Slytherin line?

No, the odds were practically impossible, and even if she was, she'd have been a Slytherin, like all his descendants. And both Lily and Cheston Potter were firmly Gryffindors.

So where had this come from?

"_Quiet, the Lestrange approaches._" Salazar Slytherin was looking at his with cool grey eyes, no doubt thinking him to be just another curious first year.

"What's the matter half-blood, not seen a real portrait before?" Malfoy sneered at him, or at least, that's what it sounded like.

Serpens didn't even look towards the boy, fixated on the figure of Salazar Slytherin. His tongue darted out, wetting his lips. How was he suppose to speak Parseltongue? Did he just start talking and hope it would change, or was their a conscious switch?

Narrowing his eyes, Serpens focused upon the snake head on Salazar's right shoulder, the golden eyes burning back at him.

"_I can understand you._"

The snake snapped to attention and the portrait of Salazar Slytherin now had an interested gleam to his eyes.

"_Oh, A Parselmouth? I was not expecting that. Greeting, I am Salazar Slytherin, and I am pretty sure you are no descendant of mine. How are you speaking Parseltongue?_"

"_I assure you, if I knew, I would certainly explain. Though I do think this will make make my time in Slytherin a little easier._"

Salazar laughed, dismissing him with a wave of his hand, the other stroking at one of the snakes' heads as the two serpents both offered their greetings.

Serpens turned, noticing the shocked awe on all the other first years faces, even the fifth year perfect was looking at him in wonderment. Walking to the stairs that would lead to their rooms, Serpens knocked his shoulder into the stationary Malfoy's ignoring the boy's startled grasp.

Power-play deflected.

* * *

**A quick reminder on all the family information you might need is below, I'm trying to introduce the Black children at a steady rate so they're easier to remember.  
**

_**Lily's Children;  
**_- Cheston James Potter (James Charlus Potter father) born 31st July 1980 Ten minutes to midnight  
- Serpens Rabastan Lestrange (Rabastan Lestrange father) born 31st July 1980 three minutes to midnight  
- Marigold Lily Potter (James Charlus Potter father) born 2nd June 1982

_**Sirius Black's and Seraphina Abbott's Children;  
**_- Procyon Sirius Black, born 21st December 1984, male  
- Rasalas Alphard Black, born 13th February 1987, male  
- Aquila Andromeda Black, born 1st January 1990, female

_**Regulus Black's and Anthea Fornes' Children;  
**_- Thuban Regulus Black, born 21st June 1986, male  
- Lepus Orion Black, born 7th May 1987, male, twin  
- Corvus Arcturus Black born 7th May 1987, male, twin  
- Lyra Narcissa Black, born 23rd August 1989, female  
- Vulpecula Cassiopeia Black, born 29th July 1991, female

**.**

**So, I knocked this chapter out pretty quick in my opinion. For those who follow my other fanfics, you'll know that I'm notorious for uploading the second that I've got the chapter wrote up, and if I'm stuck then it won't get updated for a while. For that I apologize, but I can't change I'm afraid. That's just how I work.**

**On this chapter; yes, Serpens is a Horcrux, I'm not changing from that plot line. Will he figure out what he is? I'm not sure yet. Yes they'll be tension between Malfoy, who's expecting to rule his year, and Serpens, who couldn't care less about the hierarchy aside from the fact he's at the top. **

**I tried to go a little into Serpens mind regarding his desire to become the best wizard. He doubts himself because of his near death. He's determined to prove that the very idea of killing him was a mistake, that he's the best damn wizard out there and deserves to live. Basically, he's got a complex.  
And Lily Potter regrets what she did, but I'll get more into that later on. **

**.**

**Thank you all for the reviews, I hope you like this new, longer chapter,**

**Tsume  
xxx**


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